PORT ST. LUCIE — Jonah Tong was forced to the majors last season, the result of not just his own dominance in the minors, but the Mets having all sorts of issues with their rotation as their season fell apart.
And Tong displayed what you’d expect from a prospect who had overwhelming stuff, but little experience: a promising MLB debut on Aug. 29 against Miami followed by a disaster in his third start versus Texas and then an outstanding start against the Padres.
It came with Tong’s distinctive overhead delivery and a repertoire that still needs improvement.
The effort to increase his pitch mix continued Wednesday against the Cardinals, as the 22-year-old flashed the cutter he’s been working on this spring.
There were some good ones — although the final cutter Tong threw versus St. Louis was crushed by Nolan Gorman, who hit an opposite-field three-run homer to left in the top of the third.
That came after two scoreless innings in a 6-0 loss to the Cardinals at Clover Park.
“The last one got hit a little bit, but I’m happy with how things are progressing,” Tong said of the pitch. “The value of reps like this today [in a game] are the most important thing going forward. I think I’m in a good spot.”
Unlike late last season, the Mets don’t expect to need Tong in Queens when the regular season gets underway next month.
Instead, he should get more seasoning with Triple-A Syracuse, where Tong made just two starts following his promotion from Double-A Binghamton prior to his callup by the Mets for his final five outings of the year.
“I think we all know what to expect from Nolan McLean,” said one National League scout who watched Tong on Wednesday and saw him in the majors during the final month of last season. “This guy is different. He has such a unique delivery and his stuff is just different. That’s a good thing and something that you have to keep an eye on.”
Because of the high angle Tong uses in his delivery, the scout noted, it might be more difficult to make in-game adjustments and the emergence of pitches like the cutter he’s refining this spring is especially important.
“I think those ups and downs he had when he got called up last year [were] kind of to be expected,” the scout said. “The highs can be really high, but the lows can be tough. He’s a serious kid, though, so with that stuff and his mindset, I think he’ll figure it out.”
The Mets are counting on it.
If McLean, as expected, breaks spring in a six-man rotation, Tong will be the organization’s top pitching prospect.
They sent Brandon Sproat to Milwaukee in the trade that brought Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to Queens, so Tong and Christian Scott could be two promising arms to begin the season at Syracuse, with Peralta, McLean, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga in the six-man rotation and Myers perhaps in the bullpen.
That gives Tong more time to hone his pitches and Carlos Mendoza called Wednesday “a good learning [and] development experience” for him.
“He’s not a fastball-changeup pitcher anymore,” the manager said. “There are other weapons he can use.”
Wherever Tong winds up, he’s hoping for a smoother ride in 2026.
Asked what he picked up from his brief stint in the majors for that final month in 2025, the right-hander smiled.
“Baseball is a complicated game,” Tong said. “It’s my favorite, obviously, [but] it can be a roller coaster. I want to be able to learn from last year and roll along with it.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
